—Says Buhari was vulnerable to manipulation
—Explains why ex-president pleaded with Tinubu not to probe kinsmen
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA —FORMER First Lady, Dr. Aisha Buhari said she resisted spirited attempts by a powerful cabal living in Aso Villa with their wives and grandchildren to push her and her children out of the presidential villa.
She also said that some powerful individuals capitalized on Buhari’s fondness and attachment to his extended family and old friends to manipulate him to the detriment of the lofty goals of his administration.
These revelations were contained in a biography of the former president titled: “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,” authored by Dr. Charles Omole, and launched in State House Conference Centre, Abuja, with President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu in attendance.
The former First Lady according to the book, offered her sharpest reflection on a major weakness of the Buhari administration, the failure to decisively remove non-performing officials.
She however, warned President Tinubu not to repeat the same mistake.
The book stated: “If the 2017 crisis began in a kitchen, its broader stage was the house where that kitchen was situated. Aso Villa is not merely a home, but an ecosystem. In Aisha’s account, the house quickly filled with relatives and their wives and grandchildren, as well as courtiers and staff who learned the shortcuts and shadows. They fried to push everybody out, including me,’ she says.
“It is a blunt statement, and she knows it sounds blunt. But she stands firm on her boundaries: ‘This is my house. You can live wherever you like, but you cannot be in charge of my husband’s office and then also be in charge of me, his wife, inside my house.”
It continued: “With most of her children living and studying abroad early in Buhari’s first term, extended family members filled the void and occupied houses across the Villa. And because of his fondness and attachment to his extended family and old friends, Buhari was vulnerable to all kinds of scheming and manipulations. Those who knew his weaknesses exploited them to the detriment of the lofty goals of his administration.”
She said the president’s relatives with no official roles tried to influence access to the Villa, while people who dined with her husband during the long years of opposition were no longer seen around, familiar faces were ‘locked out’, and their names allegedly logged by security agents and reported elsewhere.
“When she privately raised these concerns and saw no change, she spoke publicly, ” the book revealed.
Aisha Buhari argued that a mix of ageing, fear of public perception, and emotional manipulation by close aides stopped Muhammadu Buhari from enforcing performance standards.
According to her, the former President’s hesitation was rooted partly in sympathy. “As you age, performance changes,” she said, noting that Buhari often felt sorry for appointees who were struggling in office.
But a deeper restraint, she insisted, was Buhari’s fear of being branded a dictator again. “If I remove him, they will say I am this and that,” she quoted him as saying.
That anxiety, she argued, soon became a shield for mediocrity. The familiar reassurance, “the devil you know”, turned into a justification for leaving failing officials in place, even when policy execution stalled.
Aisha said her own rule was direct: if an official “eats” but delivers at least 50 per cent, tolerate him; if he “eats” and does nothing, remove him.
She said the family quietly agreed that Buhari’s refusal to sack non-performers became a structural flaw of his administration, worsened by advisers and relatives who applied flattery, emotional pressure and delay tactics, effectively turning loyalty into a shield against accountability.
Aisha recounts how security officials once suggested she temporarily leave Abuja for Daura so investigations into certain close associates could proceed without interference. She refused.
Shortly afterwards, she was informed that Buhari withdrew emotionally, speaking less, eating less.
Even after leaving office, she claimed Buhari privately asked President Tinubu not to probe some of his kinsmen because he still relied on them for personal needs.
For her, that episode demonstrated the danger of emotional dependence at the top of power.
The post I resisted attempt to evict me from villa – Aisha appeared first on Vanguard News.
